Double-seaming machine



A. W. WHEELER.

DOUBLE SEAMING MACHINE.

APPLICATION man 050,3. 191g.

1,343,538. Patented June 15; 1920.

i 53 L L 46' 43 "HJ'. 40 7; 53 11.! 4% 55 "will 52 45 HJ'I "I 47 46 50 45 INVENTOR dZf/ed W Week/1 ATTORNEYS ALFRED \V. WHEELER, 0F SANFRANCISCO, CALIFOENIA.

DOUBLE-SEAMING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 8, 1918. Serial No. 265,095.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED W. VVHnnLnn, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Double-Seaming Machines, of which the following is a specilication.

This invention relates to double seaming machines for cans and particularly pertains to improvements therein. It is common p notice in some types of machine by which the topsland bodies of cans are seamed together, to provide seaming rollers carried upon a single member and adapted to alternately engage and form a seam between the can top andfbody as they rotate therearound. In machines of this character it is common to utilize yieldable means for moving the roller carrying member to bring the separate rollers into and out of engagement with the can. This mechanism is not positive in its action and becomes decidedly objectionable when the yieldable members areinoperative. It is the principal object of the present invention therefore, to provide means for carrying successively operating seaming members and for alternately and positively moving them into and out of engagement with the can, thereby eliminating a number of machine parts and insuring that the mechanism will operate directly and without danger of becoming inoperative. The present invention embodies the use of a rotating spindle adapted to be in longitudinal alineinent with the can body and carrying a head upon which-are mounted first and second operation seaming rollers, said head being laterally slidable in relation to the spindle and positively actuated to move back and forth transversely of its axis to alternately bring the roller into contact with the can.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in whicha a Figure l is a fragmentary view in vertical section and elevation, illustrating the seaming head as mounted upon the spindle mechanism of the double seaming machine.

Fig, 2 is anenlarged view in section and elevation, illustrating the seaming head in detail.

Fig. 3 is a view in end elevation disclosing the completely assembled head.

Referring more particularly to the drawlugs, 10 lndicates a vertical casing forming a part ofthe rigid frame structure of a double seaming machine; 11 indicates a drive shaft disposed horizontally in relation to the casing and carried in bearings 12 formed at the side thereof. This drive shaft is adapted to be rotated by means of a pulley 13 which 1s mounted upon one end thereof, the opposite end of said drive shaft being fitted with a bevel gear 14:. This gear is in mesh with a spindle driving gear 15 which is mounted upon a vertically disposed tubular spindle 16. The spindle is rotatably supported witl 1n bearings formed as a part of a gear case 17. An annular shoulder is formed around the spindle at a point midway its length to form a stop for holding the spindle against longitudinal movement in relation to its bearing. This action cooperates with the action of a lock-nut 18 mounted upon the upper end of the spindle and resting upon the hub of the gear 15, the hub,in turn, resting upon the upper end of the bearing of the gear case 17. Extending through the center of the spindle is a tube 19, adapted to carry a can disk 20 at its lower end A rod 21 is slidably positioned within this tube and connected with an operating lever 22 at its upper end. The lever 22 is counter-balanced from its pivotal mounting 23 on the upper end of the frame member 10 and maybe raised and lowered as actuated by a push rod 2st. This rod is adapted to be operated by a cam within the casing and which is driven by a worm gear 25 in mesh with a suitable worm wheel not shown in the. drawings. The worm gear 25 and its wheel also drive a vertical cam shaft 96 which is exposed through an opening in the side of the case 10; A set of complementary cams are formed around this shaft and receive a cam roller 28. This roller is mounted upon the free end of a shifting yoke 29 which is pivoted at 30 upon a hanging bracket 81. The outer end of the shifting yoke is bifurcated and embraces the spindle 16 and a sliding sleeve The sleeve is mounted upon the spindle and is, provided with a grooved collar into which pins of the arms extend. By this means the sleeve may he slid vertically along the spindle, as actuated by the shifting member 29. The lower end of the sleeve is formed with a pair of diametrically disposed cain lugs 33 and 34. These lugs have Patented June 15, 1920.

faces tapering oppositely inrelation to the central aXis of the sleeve and in parallel re- 'lation to each other. The faces of these lugs versely of the spindle and adapted to move laterally thereof as controlled by the reciproc'ating movement of thesleeve 32. The lower endof the spindle extends through a slotted'opening 38 in the head so that the head may move as affected by the cams. The lower end of the spindle 16 is secured within a guide plate 40. This plate extends entirely beneath the plate 37 and is fixed thereto. This plate carries separate rails 41 and 42 which form the guideways for thehead 37 as shown in Fig. 3. The plate is also formed with rectangularopenings 43- and 44, through which roller blocks 45 and 46 extend. The roller blocks are slidably mounted upon the underface of the member 37 and project through the openings 43 and 44 to slide therealong.

Seaming rollers 47 and 48 are carried upon removable spindles 49 and 50 which pass into threaded openings inthe roller blocks. Theblocks 45 and 46 are adjustable in relation'to eachother and there mounted by means of machine screws 51 which extend through slotted openings 52 in the opposite ends of the head 37 and are adapted to pass into threaded-openings in the blocks. By this means the blocks may be securely clamped in position. In order to provide delicate adjustment for the blocks, set'screws 53 arethreadedinto the oppositeends of the member 37 in position to cause their heads to overhang the lower edge of the head and be brought against the end of one of the block's. Thus, by tightening these set screws, the blocks may be adjustably" moved inwardly and thereafter locked'in position by the machine screws 51. A suitable stirrup 54 is mounted upon the head 37 and adapted to pass over the upperend of the member 35 to reinforce it against the action of the cam wedge 34.

In operation, the machine is assembled and the entire double-seaming mechanism mounted upon thespindle 16, as indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The cam 26 is so designed as to normally hold the members 33' and 34 of the sleeve32 in a neutral position. In this position the rollers 47 and 48 will be spaced equidistant from the longitudinal axis of thespindle and the cam. A can and its top may be delivered to the mechanism by any preferredmeans and thereafter held by means of the disk 20, as influenced by the lever 22. When in this position it will be assumed that the roller 28 will be engaged by a cam upon the cam shaft 26 to move it downwardly, thus swinging the shifting member 29 in an upward direction and raising the sleeve 32. This will cause the cam 34 to act against the standard 35 and forcethe head in the direction of the arrow a, as indicated in Fig. 1. At the same time the cam 33 will move away from the standard 36 to accommodate the lateral movement of the head, it being understood that there is no lost motion between the two inclined faces of the cams 33 and 34 and their respective standards 36 and 35. lVhen the head is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow, the roller 47 will be moved over. against the can body and will act to curl it and its. can top together to form a seam. lV'hen this first operation has been completed, the cam shaft 26 will have rotated sufficiently to bring the cam thereon into engagement with the roller 28 to lift this roller and thus force the sleeve downwardly. This willcause the head to slide in the opposite direction, due to .the

wedging action of the member 33 against the member 36 and will relieve the roller 47 from the can and bringthe roller 48 into engagement with the seam partially formed there-around. In due course,th'e seam will be completed and'the sleeve again shifted to a neutral position, thus restoringmthe two rollers to positions out of'engagement with,

the can.

In case the rollers become worn, they may be adjustably disposedin relation to their parting from the spirit ofthe invention as claimed. 7

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: V

1. A head for double seaming machines, comprising a vertical spindle, a fiXedYguide member upon the endof said spindle, and extending from diametrically opposite sides thereof a slide block carried by the guide member to slide longitudinally"thereof and in aplane atrightangles to the axis of the spindle, seaming rollers rotatably supported by y the shd ng member and disposed in spaced relation to each other, face cams formed upon-the-sliding member and positive reciprocating means for moving said sliding member as controlled by the cams whereby the seaming rollers may be alternately brought to engage the periphery of a can disposed therebetween while the entire head structure is continuously rotating. 2. A double seaming head comprising a laterally disposed guide member carried upon the end of a rotating spindle, a slidable member carried by the guide member and adapted to move in a plane at right angles to the rotating axis of the spindle as guided by the first-named member, double seaming rollers mounted for individual rotation upon the lower face of said sliding member and upon parallel axes, fixed cam members projecting upwardly from the sliding member and disposed with their inner faces parallel. and inclined in relation to the rotating axis of the spindle, a sleeve splined upon the spindle and cam members disposed at the opposite sides of said sleeve to engage the members upon the sliding member, whereby alternate reciprocation of the sleeve will produce opposite and positively sliding movement of the member carrying the seaming rollers.

8. A head for double seaming machines, comprising a vertical spindle, a fixed plate member upon the end of said spindle and extending from diametrically opposite sides thereof, guide members extending upwardly from the sides of said plate, a slide block between the guide members adapted to slide longitudinally thereof and in a plane at right angles to the axis of the spindle, seaming rollers rotatably supported by the sliding member, face cams integrally formed upon the sliding member, a sleeve splined upon the spindle and cam members disposed at the opposite sides of the sleeve to engage the members upon the sliding member, whereby alternate reciprocation of the sleeve will produce opposite and positive sliding movement of the slide member carrying the seaming rollers.

4. A head for double seaming machines, comprising a vertical spindle, a fixed guide member upon the end of said spindle, and extending from diametrically opposite sides thereof, a slide block carried by the guide member to slide longitudinally thereof and in a plane at right angles to the axis of the spindle, seaming rollers rotatably supported by the sliding member and disposed in spaced relation to each other, face cams formed upon the sliding member and positive reciprocating means for moving said sliding member as controlled by the cams whereby the seaming rollers may be alternately brought to engage the periphery of a can disposed therebetween, means for adjusting the distance between the seaming rollers, and means for securing said rollers in their adjusted positions.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALFRED W. WHEELER Witnesses:

JOHN H. HERRING, lV. lV. HEALEY. 

